Gluten-Free Certification

Building and leveraging trust in a fast-growing market segment

What is Gluten-Free?

Foods that do not contain, or have not had exposure to gluten, are considered gluten-free.

Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale. This protein acts as a binder in food and helps it maintain its shape. In those individuals with gluten-related disorders, this protein can cause gastrointestinal issues, headache and fatigue. However, if you happen to suffer from celiac disease, these symptoms can be quite severe and include anemia, nausea and vomiting, nervous system injury and muscle wasting.

For some individuals, avoidance of gluten in their food is required for their daily health. As per CFIA regulations, manufacturers who wish to represent their food products as gluten-free must ensure that no more than 20ppm of gluten are detectable in that product.

What is 20 ppm?

The CFIA and FDA have set limits for allowable gluten in gluten-free products at 20 ppm.

Gluten-Free certification programs such as Pro-Cert’s Gluten-Free Certification and our Farm Certified Gluten-Free purity protocol set limits as low as 10 ppm, to ensure the safety of gluten sensitive consumers.

In considering if gluten-free certification is right for your operation, it helps to understand what those limits look like. This video provides some indication of how much is too much gluten.

Gluten-Free Certification Programs

Pro-Cert has devised a standard that ensures that no more than 10ppm gluten are detectable in any product and we offer certification at both the producer (Farm Certified Gluten-Free) and processing levels (Single Check Gluten-Free).